SERVE Our Communities Act

Stop Enabling Repeat Violence and Endangering Our Communities Act or the SERVE Our Communities Act

This bill authorizes the Bureau of Justice Assistance to make grants to states and local governments for mentoring, transitional services, and training to help offenders successfully reintegrate back into the community after incarceration. To be eligible for a grant, a state or local government must take steps to prevent repeat offenses by violent offenders and allow a state court or magistrate to consider the danger an individual poses to the community when determining bail or pretrial release conditions.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5797 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5797

To authorize grants for States, and units of local government that take 
   efforts to stop enabling repeat violence, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 1, 2021

Mr. Katko (for himself, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Garbarino, Mr. Jacobs of New 
   York, Ms. Malliotakis, Mr. Zeldin, Mr. Reed, Ms. Tenney, and Mrs. 
Miller-Meeks) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize grants for States, and units of local government that take 
   efforts to stop enabling repeat violence, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Enabling Repeat Violence and 
Endangering Our Communities Act'' or the ``SERVE Our Communities Act''.

SEC. 2. SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Authorization.--The Attorney General, acting through the 
Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, is authorized to make 
grants to eligible States and units of local government for the 
purposes described in subsection (c).
    (b) Eligibility.--In order to be eligible for a grant under this 
section, a State or unit of local government--
            (1) shall allow a State court or magistrate to consider the 
        danger an individual poses to the community when determining 
        bail or pretrial release conditions; and
            (2) shall have taken steps during the previous calendar 
        year to prevent repeat offenses by violent offenders, 
        including--
                    (A) enacting a law that allows a State court or 
                magistrate to consider the danger an individual poses 
                to the community when determining bail or pretrial 
                release conditions;
                    (B) expanding efforts of that jurisdiction to hire 
                and retain law enforcement officers and prosecutorial 
                staff; or
                    (C) administering a public education program to 
                combat anti-police sentiment and improve community-
                police relations.
    (c) Use of Funds.--A State or unit of local government that 
receives a grant under this section may use such funds for the purposes 
described in section 211(b) of the Second Chance Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 
60531(b)).
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2028 to 
carry out this section.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``State'' and ``unit 
of local government'' have the meanings given such terms in section 901 
of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
10251).
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